In 2014, TOTAL performed two Single Well Tracer Tests (SWTT) to evaluate the remaining oil saturation in an offshore high temperature, high salinity carbonate reservoir. The SWTT method has proved to be a reliable way, when carefully programmed, to measure a representative remaining oil saturation without being impacted by near wellbore effects. The objective of these measurements was to evaluate the efficiency of a single well chemical EOR (CEOR) pilot by measuring oil desaturation.

Extensive in-house laboratory work was carried out by TOTAL to lay the foundation for the pre and post CEOR pilot SWTTs. A specific tracer injection skid was internally developed to ease the operations. Specific numerical work was performed to achieve robust designs and interpretations. These simulations, carried out in-house, took into account all major uncertainties highlighted by experimental work. Detailed results from the SWTT preparation phase will be described in the paper.

Results from the baseline SWTT interpretation evidenced excellent quality tracer profiles from the first test and high remaining oil saturation, improving our knowledge on the flooding pattern of this reservoir. Results from the post EOR SWTT showed again a clear response of a remarkable decrease in remaining oil saturation, proving the efficiency of the chemical formulation provided by TOTAL and the envisaged recovery mechanism. Interpretation of these Single Well Tracer Tests also allowed us to evidence a much lower than anticipated reservoir dispersion. These findings highlight the potential of EOR implementations in these carbonate formations.

Lessons learned from these two offshore SWTTs are discussed in this paper, such as the need for specific preparation to tackle the complexity of a high temperature high salinity carbonate reservoir in presence of H2S. TOTAL has shown that such operations can be performed in a strict timeframe while adhering to company safety rules. Careful interpretation of such results is mandatory to validate the success of the single well chemical EOR pilot.